Legally, you are correct. Morally, I am.
Well I agree on the first point and don't on the second.
So not actually black and white then?
and that's just childish and pedantic.
I think you have issues stumpyjon.
Yes I have issues, I don't like people arrogantly digging up the countryside causing grief for the land owner and making bikers relations with other countryside users any worse than they currently are.
The MOD manages all sorts of land across the country in it's duties for the government. Like to see you trying to build jumps in the middle of an army base or an airfield.
Some of their training areas have continuous public access and there are some good legal trails. Not sure if this is 100% true. I was told that during a concealment exercise a squaddie, who was well concealed, got run over by a mountain biker. The very apologetic rider then spoke to the training sgt at the bottom of the hill. The sgt said, did he move or make a noise? The reply was no. The sgt said good, he's passed!
TJ, where I've worked is not at Lordswood. It's a strip of land, it is wooded but not logged. As I said, a friend of a friend was granted permission years ago. Treat with care - agree. No rubbish left, no damage to live trees, work with what already exists etc.
And if you continue to with the sort of attitude you've shown on here tonight we'll all end up suffering.
I'd have sufferred as a child if the people who built our bmx tracks in the woods hadn't bothered.
I don't like people arrogantly digging up the countryside causing grief for the land owner and making bikers relations with other countryside users any worse than they currently are.
And if you read my posts, you'd learn that I'm not doing that. Look, I'm happy for you that you've got the FC on side. If after 3 years he wasn't, what would you be doing now? From my experiences, biker relations locally are, with one exception, positive.
If the trails/jumps arent provided by the council/FC people are going to build them, thats the way it is and IMO, the way it should be. Its also a free way for the FC to find out where to build trails!
I have to admit, I have a tollerance for what kids build out of the dirt in schools hols. If I find it, I usually try to ride it and enjoy it, so that makes me complicit. I then get slightly depressed watching it gradually get destroyed by the landowner or dog walkers/other users, it might even be me that is envolved in destroying it for the greater good of local trail building. But, I take a measured view. I will play on most things others have built, even if I wouldn't have done it myself. Occassionally, I would question someones building and not ride it, for various reasons.
On a practical level, I don't understand why anyone would want to spend hours or days building stuff which has a good chance of being destroyed by the land owner/manager (or other users) shortly after. It just seems a waste of time and effort.
Personally, I build on land which has permission so my efforts are not wasted. I probably spend more time building trails than riding my bike these days.
